Citadel trying to follow abuse report advice

CHARLESTON | Officials at The Citadel say they are working to follow experts' recommendations following a sex abuse scandal that involved a former camp counselor.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports that leaders at the military college said Friday they are working on better ways to protect children on campus and deal with sexual assault complaints.

The college's Board of Visitors hired two outside firms last year to investigate a 2007 complaint from a former camper about Louis “Skip” ReVille, a Citadel graduate and former teacher who worked at schools, camps, churches and recreation programs in the Charleston area.

Help us deliver journalism that makes a difference in our community.

Our journalism takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work to produce. If you read and enjoy our journalism, please consider subscribing today.

Citadel President Lt. Gen. John Rosa said following through on such issues is important. “We have to constantly keep this on our radar,” he said.

The review, which the military college released in April, was conducted by Margolis, Healy & Associates and Ann Franke of Wise Results LLC. It found that the school’s investigation was inadequate, but it also found that the college did not conspire to keep the allegations from the public.

The school launched the review in August. It examined the decision-making process that occurred in 2007 after a teen accused ReVille of watching porn and masturbating with young boys at The Citadel’s summer camp five years earlier.

The school closed the matter without notifying police, following an internal investigation that yielded no action.

The State Law Enforcement Division determined that there was no criminal wrongdoing on The Citadel’s part.

ReVille, a Citadel graduate and one of the camp’s counselors, went on to molest a number of boys. He is serving a 50-year prison term after he pleaded guilty in June to molesting 23 boys in the Charleston area.